The TRUE Destiny!
by SicklyTheNinJa
Summary: A man who becomes a guardian, and has learned to trust the "Traveler", is suddenly thrown into a spiraling conspiracy where nothing is as it appears to be, where friends become enemies, and where light becomes darkness. Follow Rev as he encounters the Crow, travels to forbidden parts of the solar system, and unravels the truth about who the Traveler TRULY is.
1. Chapter 1

THE "TRUE" DESTINY!

ACT 1 - Part 1

Before I begin:  
It's important that you are all aware of three things;

1\. I extensively researched all grimoire cards pertaining to the lore of Destiny. Every piece of this story is based on knowledge compiled from what I learned through the cards on the website, and from sources that exposed some of the cutscenes and storytelling that was cut from the final game due to Joe Staten (lead writer of Bungie) departing in 2013. This is my take on what the game should have been like as far as the original story, and is written in novel form. The story will consist of three acts. Each act will consist of three parts, and will not include every single strike and mission, but only the ones that I felt were important to the progression of the original story.

2\. The character depicted as the Guardian in this story is male. Why? Because I'm a male and cannot fight my instinct to play as one. The story makes more sense to me this way. The character will also be a Titan Class. Why? You guessed it: because I like to play as one. That's not to say I don't like the other two, once again, it fits well with the story.

3\. I do not own anything related to Destiny or Bungie except for a retail copy of the game. This is merely a fan-made story and should not be considered canon. All copyrights related to Destiny belong to Bungie and Activision alone, and have nothing to do with me.

I hope you enjoy this fan-fic story!  
—

The Real Destiny – By: K.J. Stone

ACT I  
—-

Segment One  
—-

It felt like being shocked. Thousands of painless bolts of electricity coursing through his veins. And then light flooded into his eyes. The sky was bright. clouds littered the blue atmosphere. Still feeling weak from being jolted awake, he pushed himself into a sitting position. It was quiet.

"Hello."

The word made his heart jump. He looked up and to the left, and he saw it. It looked like a Small cube; albeit, a cube that constantly changed its form, it's back half spinning like a clock. It's glowing eye seemed to fixate on him.

He slowly moved to a kneeling position.

"What are you…"

The cube-like mechanism spun.  
"I'm a ghost–"  
"You're a what–"  
"A ghost! Well, I'm your ghost."  
"I don't know you. Where am I?"

The ghost seemed to hesitate.  
"…you've been dead a long time."

"Dead?" That made no sense to him.  
"You didn't answer my question. Where am I?"

"You're on Earth…"

The man stood up slowly. He looked to his right. Rusted vehicles. Abandoned. No sign of anyone. He looked to his left. Same thing. The wreckage seemed to span for miles. He felt himself stepping backwards into a car door. A withered corpse hung out in the open, half sprawled on the ground. The ghost hovered a few feet away.

"You may see some things that… You may not understand."

The man tried to process it all. Behind him, a gigantic concrete wall. Could have been a dam. Birds nested in the cracks of its exterior. Ahead of him, the vehicle graveyard, and a field of orange grass. Had to have been fall. It was cold outside.

"What… What happened…"

He felt a lump in his throat. His vision felt blurry, and he began to breathe faster as he gripped the door of the car.

"No, no, no. This can't be earth. This isn't possible, I was just there."

The ghost looked at him.

"You were dead–"  
"Stop saying that. Do I look dead to you?"  
"I brought you back. It's… Kind of what I do."

A scream filled the air, like a jet engine. The man and ghost looked upward. Three streams lined the skyline, appearing to be high powered ships that trailed along the area. Then something roared. A flock of birds flew away from the inside of a trunk in a panic. The sound echoed through the valley, and the man witnessed two figures emerge from some wreckage in the distance. A third larger figure emerged behind them, and leapt onto an abandoned car, scouring the area.  
The ghost zipped downward, shielding itself behind a car.

"Hide!" The ghost was whispering. The man didn't get how this robot could whisper. The man obeyed, ducking next to the ghost. He waited a moment, and then peered through a broken passenger window. The bigger creature lifted its weapon, and loaded a magazine into it using one of its four arms. It didn't appear to have a mouth, unless it was covered. It's head had elongated expansions that he assumed was the top of its head. Reminded him of an animated show he used to watch.  
The creature looked in his direction, and grunted. Did it see them? It started to walk towards them, motioning its two followers by pointing

"We have a way out of here," said the ghost.  
"Follow you? How do I know you won't kill me?"  
"I brought you back."  
"And you can't do the uh… other thing?"  
"Doubt it."

The man hesitated.  
"I just… I don't know what to believe… Who to trust."  
"Look. There is an entrance into that wall. It's right up those stairs. I have answers for you, but telling you is useless if we both die."

The ghost hovered closely to the man as he thought to himself. The creatures were getting closer. He could hear them chattering in a language he didn't understand. They sounded angry.

"Decide quickly, Guardian."

Guardian? That was an odd term. The man Looked up at the ghost.  
"Alright. But I'm going to need a gun."  
"Assuming you know how to use one."  
"Oh I do. Trust me."  
"Do you think they saw us?" The ghost sounded worried.  
"Maybe they were just–"

Clang!

A blast of green energy blew the car door off its hinges. The guardian jumped back as the green stuff began to melt the door. He heard the hiss of melting metal.

"What was that?!"  
"Fusion rifle," said the ghost as it cloaked itself. "To the door! Run!"

The guardian heard ringing in his ears. Somehow, every round fired at him whizzed past his head as he carried his feet forward. The stairs appeared closer with every step, which was good because he felt useless without a weapon. Vulnerable. He could see the ghost as a nearly invisible shimmer, staying barely ahead of him as he ran up the stairs. With one last push he leapt into the doorway and slammed the metal entrance shut. Consistent pounding on the door rang through the dimly lit hallway. The guardian knew these were gunshots. After a few seconds, the gunfire stopped.

"Well," the ghost said as he uncloaked at the other end of the hall.  
"Looks like you owe me an apology."

The guardian crossed his arms.  
"You'll have it as soon as I get that weapon."  
"You're right. Bringing you back from the dead wasn't enough."  
"I'm sorry, but from where I'm standing, those things out there attacked us because I'm alive. Your fault."

The ghost floated forward until he was right in the guardians' face.

"Okay, let's clear some things up, since you feel extremely inconvenienced, and in the dark."  
"…was that a pun?"  
"First off, I didn't bring you back to listen to you whine. It was because you have the potential to do great things, so I suggest you take the chance you've been given a little more seriously, otherwise you can go back out there with them-"

The guardian uncrossed his arms. The ghost continued.

"-and secondly. The ones outside? They're not 'things'. They're 'The Fallen'. Extremely dangerous. Pretty much space pirates-"  
"Oh, space pirates? Generic, don't you think?"  
"Regardless of what I think, they will kill you. They don't ask questions. And they don't have answers for you. Neither will they stop looking for us. They're probably finding another way in as we speak."  
The guardian looked around, not looking so sure of himself this time. The ghost stayed fixed on him.  
"My scans picked up the coordinates of an abandoned ship somewhere within these walls. I can't promise that we won't run into more trouble, but it's just a short walk away. Maybe it's time we start trusting each other, because from where I'M standing, Guardian… I'm the closest thing to a friend you have."

The guardian sighed, realizing that he had been wearing his helmet the whole time. He removed it, revealing brown hair and brown eyes. He was Caucasian.

"So should I call you 'Ghost'? Or do you have a name?"  
"Ghost is fine. You?"  
"Rev. Nice to meet you. And uh… I'm sorry." He reached out for a handshake. Ghost looked at his hand, then at him.  
"Oh. Right." Rev lowered his hand.  
Ghost turned and floated down the hall.  
"Stay close."

About five minutes of walking passed before the two discovered a corpse.

"A guardian," the ghost said. It sounded sad.

"His equipment is strange," said Rev. "The colors and the design are all mixed. All my gear is carbon fiber. And gray… And dull-"

"He left you a parting gift."

The guardian was dead, that was for certain. His body was sitting upright against a damp wall. Hands spread on the floor. Head was missing. Horrible way to die. Looked like a pretty tough guy. Strange that something made off with his head. In his right hand, a rifle with a scope, aimed outward. He might have died fighting. A hero, this one. Rev picked up the weapon and checked its magazine. Not one shot fired. Someone got the drop on him. Rev took a look around. A cluster of large pipes in an opening down the long, dim hallway, but further down it was a straight shot into a large room covered in darkness. No real sign of anything dangerous.

"Have you picked up any motion," Rev asked.  
"What, do you think I'm some kind of radar?"  
Rev looked at Ghost. Ghost let out a robotic sigh.  
"No movement, yet. We're pretty close to the ship. Just a little farther and we can-"

Rev suddenly felt something wrap around his neck and pull him backward. The creature had to have hidden behind the pipes. A distorted cackle came from its breather as it tightened its grip.

"Watch out! A Dreg!"

Rev grabbed the arm and catapulted the Dreg onto the ground. The acolyte hissed and tried to take hold of him. Rev pointed the rifle downward.

Boom!

The gunshot echoed loudly through the hall and dispersed as a consistent noise into the dark opening at the end. The Dreg no longer moved, but it soon became eerily silent.

"I've got a really bad feeling," Ghost said.

Something screeched, as if a war cry had been issued out. Other screeches then cried out in agreement. Rev looked into the opening at the end of the hall.

"Dark room?"  
"Dark room."

The two exchanged glances and made off towards the dark hole in the wall. Once they reached it, entering into the dark was as quick, but terrifying.

"I can't see anything!"

Ghost responded to that statement by shining a bright, wide light from its eye, illuminating in a circle in front of them. Rev stayed close to the ghost, and they heard clanging, foot steps. Rev could tell that there was at least a squad of fallen right behind them.

"You know where we're going?!"  
"Got the schematics memorized. Providing you light."  
"Stop! Turn!"

The ghost reversed its gaze to the rear. The fallen squad came into view. Blue and gray, menacing, four of them at least. They were all holding an assortment of weapons, but the light blinded them. Rev raised his weapon and fired the first round. The first target's head snapped sideways, pulling involuntarily on the trigger of its firearm. A green blast exited the barrel and engulfed another squad member. Rev then released half the clip of his rifle into the last two. They both fell backwards into the dark.

"Let's go."

After a few prolonged minutes of exploring the blackness, Rev and Ghost finally stumbled into natural light. The roof had been blown off. Most likely an attack. Sunlight bathed the room and reflected off of a large, shiny, rusty object. This was a hangar.

"See? What did I tell you."  
"That piece of junk?"  
"It's not much, but it has just enough power to get us to the tower."  
"The tower?"  
"Yes. The tower."

Ghost hovered in front of Rev, so that they were eye to eye.

"We call it 'Humanity's Last Line of Defense'."  
"Wait…defense?"  
"Yes, defense for the Traveler, and against the forces of the Darkness."  
"The darkness… You mean the fallen."  
"Well, that and…others."  
"I don't understand. What exactly is humanity up against? And for that matter. What happened to humanity? I couldn't have been gone that long."  
"Well… You were. You saw what's outside these walls. There's nothing left."  
"What about the tower?"  
"Perhaps it's best if you see it for yourself."

Rev, out of the corner of his eye, saw a gigantic mound a few feet away. It when he looked closer, it appeared to be a pile of skulls. They were laying there as if on display. Countless victims, apparently human, their tormented souls staring at whoever looked at them. He then spotted something crawling out of a sewer hole right behind the ship.  
"Just wait until you meet-"  
"Ghost."  
"What?"

Ghost spun to face the creature. It was a Fallen. No. It was more than that. It emerged from the hole completely, and stood at about ten feet tall. It grabbed hold of the ships' hull, and lowered itself beneath and out again. The ship was hanging by metal cords, almost as if it was chained to the ceiling. Rev was astounded by its towering presence. It's armor was matte white, plates and shielding a on its knees and arms. A metal plate with ventilation covered its mouth. Two elongated spikes that Rev assumed to be its ears protruded from the sides of its head. A long, red and torn cloak hung loosely around its back and shoulder, down to its legs. It's eight parallel eyes glowed bright orange, and it growled in their direction.

"CHUKAH! Doon voh chaht ok' mahn!"

"Wait, what did he say?"  
"You have Your helmet on?"  
"Yes?"  
"Translating."

"Nahto chok fal– Guardian."

Rev stayed silent. The fallen slowly paced away from the ship, walking towards the pile of skulls, but keeping his eyes fixed on the guardian.

"It's been too long since your kind have stepped foot into my hunting ground."

"This isn't your 'ground'," Rev started. "This is the land of…wait…where are we exactly?"  
Ghost turned to him.  
"Russia."  
Rev lowered his weapon.  
"Really?"

The fallen roared at them, picking up a skull from the pile.  
"Where I'm from, Guardian… ownership of land is determined by strength."  
Rev watched as the fallen admired the skulls' eye sockets, placing its fingers into them like a bowling ball.  
"Many have come before you… As you see here."  
"Being in a place like this has clearly screwed with your mind. You've picked up a hobby in murder."  
"There is no murder in what I do! The guardians before have played their part in sacrifice to my Prime."

The Ghost whispered a lecture.  
"The prime is a high rank in their leadership structure. Seems that this particular fallen has been killing guardians and offering their skulls in honor of his prime."

Rev leaned in to whisper back.  
"That means we're in trouble. Is the ship good to fly?"  
"Well yes. But…"  
"What are we waiting for? Let's make a run for it."  
"It's missing a warp drive."  
"What!"  
"We may have enough power to fly straight to the tower, assuming we get out in one piece. We could come back for the warp drive later."  
"That's a stupid idea, Ghost."  
"Why?"  
"What if he has the warp drive? We leave and come back with firepower but this guy moves shop."  
"Good point."  
"We may not have a choice here."  
"If only I knew where the warp drive was. If I could see it, I could reattach it instantaneously."

Rev stepped forward.

"We're taking that ship."

The fallen snorted, shaking it's head.  
"Many have tried to best Rixis. Many have failed." Rixis crushed the skull in his hand.

"Rixis?!" Ghost sounded anxious.  
"You know him?"  
"Makes a lot of sense now. We might be in more danger than you think."  
Rixis took a step forward.  
"He is a terror that has spread across the solar system like a force of nature. This is all fun and games for him. Take those skulls as a warning, Guardian."  
"What in the hell…"  
"Indeed. Rixis, The Guardian Hunter."

Your friend is correct, human. I would say to attempt my demise to your greatest effort, but even that wouldn't be saying much."  
Rixis raised his arms, as if ready to fight.  
"I will place your skull on a pike. All will know you as the fool who thought he could escape."

"Well then.."  
Rev cocked his weapon and aimed down the sights.  
"Rev, you might have the advantage here. He doesn't appear to be armed. He's rumored to be a master marksman, so as long as he doesn't have a weapon, you should be able to handle him."

Rixis reached behind his shoulder and lifted an object into the air. It changed in shape, making clicking and twisting sounds. When he slapped it into his other hand, it came fully into view. A large projectile weapon, with four barrels in one, each barrel hole glowing as orange and as brightly as Rixis' glare. A sharp, jagged bayonet protruded from under the weapon. He pointed it in their direction.

"…"  
Rev looked at Ghost.

"…I'm reprogramming the ship for takeoff." The ghost cloaked.

Rev fired. Rixis trudged forward, being hit by the bullets but not affected by their entry. Rev spotted the weapon charging and ran to a pillar close to the wall. An orange blast ejected and blew the pillar apart. Rev was thrown back, hitting the dirt and rolling. He got up on his knee, feeling pain all over his body. He could see shrapnel sticking from his armor, and felt that some of it had stuck into his flesh.

"Extraordinary, isn't it?"

Rev looked up to see Rixis gloating, weapon rested on his shoulder.

"Invented it myself. Packs a punch. A number of them, at that slows you down, could even sever some nerves, if you're a good shot."

"You're sick."  
"Maybe. But that's better than being DEAD."  
Rixis fired another round, and Rev leapt forward, right under the blast, ignoring the pain in his joints. He could put the rest of his clip into Rixis, but it wouldn't have made a difference. The only other option was to get up close. The wall behind him shattered, but he didn't look back. Already, Rixis was bringing his fist down full force.

Rev stopped two feet away and sidestepped to the left. Rixis' fist slammed into the dirt, creating a ring around it. Rev knew he had him, and threw his weight into his elbow, slamming it into the fallen' knee. Rixis tripped over and planted his hands into the dust, dropping the shrapnel gun.

Rev found his opportunity and launched his fist into the menacing face. Rixis staggered back, but Rev didn't back down. He then threw another punch, but Rixis grabbed his arm, and threw his third arm into Revs' abdomen. The guardian flew upward and back into a wall, hitting it hard. The front of his armor then suddenly cracked down the center, before Rev hit the ground. He couldn't take another hit like that.

He heard Rixis gargling angrily as he stomped towards him. Rev stood just in time to see the monster throwing its clawed armored foot forward. Rev ducked, with the foot barely missing his shoulder, crushing the wall instead. Rixis followed through with three of his arms trying to hit Rev, who in turn half-rolled to the right and to the left. With his fourth arm, Rixis picked up his weapon and swung it in Revs' direction as it charged. Rev swung his left hand in front of him. The weapon was knocked upward and the blast went off. Rev felt himself being blown downward into the dirt. The weapon fired off too close to the all and exploded, taking the fallen's hand with it. Rixis was thrown sideways, screams muffled within his faceplate. Rev realized he just did something no other Guardian had done.

He couldn't stop from being grabbed by the throat, however, and was thrown to the ground behind the fallen pirate.

"You're doing great," said the ghost assuredly. "I'm almost done."

Rev wasn't having a good day.  
"How…long does it take to…power the ship…"  
"Oh I've already powered the ship," it said from inside the cockpit. "Working on something else."

"Are you…kidding me…" Rev replied groggily as Rixis lifted him into the air by his throat again. Rixis' eyes were flaring with orange. This guy was mad.

"My gun…my hand… You!"  
"Me…"  
"I… Am going to rip you apart… You filthy…Titan."

Rev was conscious enough to stare ahead at the hole in the wall that the shrapnel gun created. Within it looked to be something that strangely resembled…

"GHOST!" Rev said as his voice cracked.  
Ghost hovered up from the cockpit. It gasped, in a robot kind of way.  
"Warp Drive!"  
Rixis had been hiding it. This seemed to make him more angry. He tightened his grip on Revs' neck.  
Rixis heard a hissing sound and looked back to see the metallic warp drive disappear in a blue mist. The ship behind them roared with power, the thrusters in the back shot flames, and the chains connecting the ship to the ceiling broke off.

Rixis watched in awe as the ship slowly hovered off ground and turned to face them. Rev looked to see a small hatch beneath the front hull open up. Two small barrels emerged instantly. Rixis saw that they were pointed directly at him. Rev tried to speak.

"That's… what you were…"  
"Yeah," Ghost finished. "Weapons systems."

Two high pitched bangs sounded  
Throughout the open room, and a pair of extreme velocity rounds punched straight through Rixis' chest. The fallen pirate's body flew back and exploded in a ball of smoke after hitting a cement pillar. Rev fell onto the ground on his back. He grunted.

"Don't just lay there, guardian. Let's get out of here!"

Screeches and hollers echoed from within the dark halls away from them. More fallen, probably ranked under Rixis, were coming o avenge their leader.

"Right. Open the hatch." Rev stumbled to his feet.  
"I can just teleport you inside."  
"What! Haha, no. Open the hatch."  
A circular platform decompressed and lowered from the hull of the ship, and Rev stepped onto it. He was enveloped in fog as the platform raised up. The hatch closed just as a large group of fallen started shooting at the ship, to no avail. They lumbered in like a wave, angry and trigger-happy. The ship turned upward, facing the sky. Within a moment, the thrusters kicked in, and the ship shot into the sky, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake.

Rev made his way to the cockpit, and sat down in the large, leather seat, already beginning to pull the shrapnel out of his stomach and shoulders. If he didn't know any better, he could have sworn the ghost was smiling.

"That was a big moment for you wasn't it," he asked it.  
"It was pretty alright."  
"Right."

After about an hour of flying, the guardian leaned forward in his chair. They had been soaring through the clouds for quite some time, but finally, something was starting to show itself.

"You mentioned something about a traveler earlier."  
"Yes."  
"I never thought to ask you what you meant by that."  
"You mean you don't see it?"  
"See what?"  
The ghost hovered up to the glass window in front of Rev. They found themselves uncovered completely from the clouds now, and Rev spotted a blanket of more of them several thousand feet below. In the distance, something that looked just like the moon was partially covered by the blanket. It looked like a giant monument. Three thin lines circled its white exterior. It had to be the size of a large city. It was only a matter of time before Rev realized they were flying right towards it.

"What…"  
"That, guardian…  
Is the Traveler.

—-


	2. Chapter 2 - To Walk On Egg Shells

Heat billowed from the hot thrusters as the ship floated to the gray, spherical landing platform below them. Rev looked out the window of the ship to see three guardians like himself, but with more complex and colored armor, standing in a tri-formation.

"They look so happy to see us," he said.

"We've been cleared to land, shouldn't be any trouble. I think," Ghost said.

"You think...?"

"The ships' systems are pretty old, I was able to send out the request- no I'm sure they heard us."

"Well, at least they didn't shoot us down," Rev replied as he heard the docking lock connect to the ships' hull.

"Guardian, go ahead and step off, I'll make sure everything's shut down here."

"If you say so."

The hatch opened, and Rev descended, bringing his feet down onto the landing pad. The three guardians, all holding rifles, stared in his direction.

"Uh... Hey-"

Three weapons pointed up at him.

"Don't move!"

Rev raised his hands.

"I hate you, Ghost..."

"What did you say?" Asked the first guardian.

"Nothing."

"Fine. You two go grab him."

The two guardians moved forward.

"Didn't you guys receive our dock request?"

"No. We'll get to that once you're detained, seeing as you don't have your ghost-"

Ghost uncloaked right in front of the first guardian.

"That won't be necessary!"

The two other guardians swung their weapons around. Rev found his chance and lunged, knocking the first guardian down, then grabbing the thirds' weapon. As soon as he lifted the rifle, he felt something cold touch his throat. He froze. A hand rested on his left shoulder.

A calm, mechanized voice spoke to him.

"That wasn't very smart."

The ghost turned and looked to see Rev being held by a knife to his throat. The face holding him was half-covered by a white and gray hood, but Ghost could see the robotic face. It was also white. Green, glowing eyes shown from the dark of the hood, and a clamp resembling a mouth moved to form words. Ghost knew what it was.

"An exo."

"A what?!" Rev said."

"Your friend may have just saved your life. Lower your weapon."

Rev listened.

"You three, go and tell the speaker that we've got another one. A ghost is with him."

The guardian that Rev knocked down rose up, and the three headed towards the tower behind them. Tall red banners flapped in the wind, and large pillar-like terminals were being observed by what appeared to be many different guardians. Some chatted away in corners, others were talking to supposed merchants surrounded by weapons and armor. However, a small group had gathered to see the commotion caused by him.

The exo released the knife from Revs' neck and sheathed it. He then took out a pair of laser cuffs and bound Revs' wrists.

"Hey, what the hell?"

"Sorry about this, but I can't have you panicking like that again."

"That wasn't panicking, I was defending myself."

The exo pressed harder on the cuffs. Rev cringed.

"Do you enjoy torturing anyone who questions you?"

"I don't make the rules. I follow them."

"That's pretty self-deprecating for a robot to say."

Bang!

Rev ducked. He then looked down to see a burning hole the size of a bullet in the ground, right next to his foot.

"You shot at me!"

"I'm sorry, my finger had a seizure and pulled the trigger as soon as you called me a robot. Strange..."

"What's strange is your adept sense of sarcasm."

"I do what I can. Get to walking."

Rev looked behind him once more. His eyes fixated on the city-sized sphere. The traveler. Thunder rumbled in the clouds circling it. A spectacular sight.

Ghost watched as they walked through the crowd of staring guardians.

"You too, little light," said the exo.

Ghost trudged behind them.

"...I hate it when people call me that."

It was a large dome. Or so it appeared to be. The floor was gone, and in its place was a semicircle of spiked mechanisms, which Rev assumed were housing the hologram of the traveler hanging closely above it. To the left, Rev saw a spiraling staircase, and a masked man in white and black robes walking down them. His voice was calm. He sounded like he was a bit up there in age.

"Deagle, why on Earth is this man cuffed? He has his Ghost with him."

"Well, he did assault three of our guardians."

"Only because he was fearful for his own life."

"Eh. You're the boss."

The exo named Deagle removed the cuffs from Revs' wrists. Rev, wearing no helmet and nothing but cracked, dirty armor to show for his experience, stepped forward.

"Thank you, Deagle," the man in robes said.

Deagle nodded.

The man in robes finished descending the stairway, and walked calmly over to them. The man raised his hand in Deagle's direction.

"One of our oldest, and most honorable guardians."

Rev looked over at Deagle.

"Great sense of humor, too."

"Come on over, I've got a joke for ya," Deagle motioned him over.

"Please. Let us be civil."

Rev looked back to the robed man.

"So who are you?"

"Who i am is irrelevant. It's what I do that matters."

"And what do you do..."

The robed man stepped over to the large hologram. Off in the open space of the dome, the sphere in the sky gleamed in the sunlight.

"You've heard of The Traveler, as per your ghost, I presume?"

"He's mentioned it once. Doesn't look like it does much 'traveling'."

"It must have been unnerving... waking up in a world like this."

"Everything right now is... A bit much."

"You must have no end of questions."

"Too many. But let's start with my previous question. The traveler. What is it?"

The robed man began to walk over to a long railing overlooking a vast city, with the traveler hanging over it. Rev followed.

"Centuries ago... Humanity stepped foot on Mars. Three astronauts, all from different cultures, combined their creative ideals to find a way to travel quickly to other planets. It was a joyous day when they stepped foot on that world, for in that time, man had finally given up its selfish iniquities and finally, humanity had become one."

"Sounds amazing."

"That moment, though, was overshadowed, by what was found on Mars."

"The Traveler?"

"Yes. The Traveler had been on a journey for thousands of years, and had finally found a resting place within our solar system. With great power, the traveler unleashed the potential of our nine worlds, terraforming them so that we could grow as a race throughout the Milky Way. The influence of humanity expanded, and we were plunged into a 'Golden Age'."

Rev noticed that the bottom of the sphere looked battle worn. Like a large scrape had removed a portion of its lower half.

"What happened to it?"

Ghost uncloaked and floated outward to face the traveler.

"Alas, there was a Great War. The Fallen, as I am sure you encountered in the Cosmodrome, brought violence into our age of industry. Space pirates. An entire race with no place to call home, attacked humanity. This traumatic point in time was called 'The Collapse'."

"That's something I experienced personally," Deagle said as he walked up to them.

"Using every ounce of its life force and power, the Traveler saved humanity and pushed back the darkness. Humanity was on the brink of extinction, but using the light, we flourished, and now... The city you see before you is all that remains."

Rev was having trouble processing it all. The Traveler was some kind of a savior. But what was it? Was there something inside of this thing? Was it one being, or many? A hive mind of sorts?

"This is the last city on Earth. Outside these walls, the land is referred to as 'The Wild'."

"The Wild..."

"Yes. From the Wild lurks agents of the darkness. The fallen are one. But there are far worse things in the galaxy."

Rev pondered on that thought.

"The Traveler is silent, now. Regaining its strength, but slowly. Until it finds its voice, I alone speak in its place. You may call me The Speaker."

"Alright, Speaker. What's kept the fallen from bringing in a warship to finish the traveler off? It's clearly defenseless-"

"It's not that simple-"

"Like hell it isn't."

Deagle stepped in front of Rev.

"Rev. You need to understand the situation. We do have guardians out there, pushing the boundaries and keeping us all safe. That's what the tower is for."

"To keep watch," the Speaker added.

"Just like you, if you do choose, will do."

Rev stepped away from the railing. Ghost floated back down, hovering right next to him.

"Rev..."

"I don't remember anything, Ghost. My memory is gone. The only thing I have is a picture of how Earth... Was."

"A photo?"

"No... A memory."

Rev brought his voice down.

"How can I be expected to trust these guys? Did you not see them pointing a gun at me? What was that about?"

"I know it's a lot to take in-"

"That's an understatement."

"-but I got your out of trouble out there. I see a light in you, Rev. That's something you don't see much of around here."

"Okay...?"

"I'm saying that The Speaker... Deagle... All the guardians roaming this tower... The Traveler. They can all be trusted. Look around... It's not like you have anywhere else to go."

"Maybe..."

"Give this a chance... Whatever your life was before now... It's gone. You can make a name for yourself. You can bring out the good in others... We can push back the darkness."

The Speaker saw them whispering and intervened.

"Guardian. Don't fight it. Embrace it."

Rev's vision snapped into blackness. He heard nothing... But after a moment, he could hear a faint whirring... It was as if he was flying. He felt the wind, but could see nothing. A voice trailed into hearing distance. It sounded like a female.

"Don't fight it, Rev... I love you."

Screaming quickly overlapped the voice. It was as if hundreds of people were screaming at once. Rev felt his hands covering his ears. The noises suddenly stopped. Light flooded back into his eyes.

"Rev!" Ghost was right in front of his face.

Deagle had his hand on Rev's shoulder.

"You alright, pal?"

Rev removed his hands from his ears. His heart was pounding. He felt vulnerable, as if he had just experienced death. He swallowed, and turned to The Speaker.

"I'll help..."

He didn't know why he said it. Everything felt wrong. But it was true. He had nowhere else to go. It wasn't safe out in the Wild. To him, it seemed like there was nothing left on the planet but violence. At least around here they were civil, apart from the fact that thy had been pointing their weapons at him earlier. That was strange.

As the conversation ended, Rev followed Deagle into a giant courtyard, in the rear of the tower. A large man wearing white armor, which was plates with golden sun-shaped decor, approached them.

Deagle stepped forward and bowed graciously to the man. Rev tried to bow as well, but it wasn't as gracious. The man in white and golden armor motioned them up.

"Word of your arrival spreads quickly, Rev."

"Does it now."

"Indeed. The one who defeated Rixis, the Guardian Hunter."

Rev felt the wound on his neck. Suddenly, his pain resurfaced.

"I do appreciate being reminded of my conflicts."

"Indeed! It builds character!"

"So uh... What are we doing here, Deagle? Is he here to help me tackle you?"

Deagle smirked mechanically.

"On the contrary. To tackle you."

"I am Lord Saladin. I am a founding member of the Iron Banner. I am also here... To train you."

"To wield an iron banner?"

"Heavens, no! What good would that do you? Fallen weapons can disintegrate iron like it is mere butter."

"I was just ki-"

"I'm going to teach you the ways of the Titan. You will embrace the art of strength, and endurance. The power of battle at your fingertips! You will even harness lightning itself!"

Rev remembered being called a Titan by Rixis before the monster became a Fallen angel.

"A Titan?"

"All will be revealed to you in due time. Are you ready?"

Rev looked at Deagle, who shrugged.

"Hey... I've got nothing better to do."


End file.
